The present invention is a new and distinct complex hybrid of Hippeastrum Herb., commonly known as amaryllis, a member of the family Amaryllidaceae, and is henceforth referred to by the cultivar name ‘Orlando’.
‘Orlando’ originated as a cross made by the inventor in 2001 as part of a breeding program in Miami, Fla., USA. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop new amaryllis varieties with novel floral form and coloration and heat tolerance. The female parent is a proprietary selection of the complex cross (Hippeastrum ambiguum×H. papilio)×H. brasilianum labeled with the breeder's code 101-5. The pollen parent is the non-patented commercial Hippeastrum ‘Wonderland’.
The new cultivar was selected on the basis of large flowers with deep pink-purple coloration contrasted by a broad median white stripe on the tepals. Over the course of seven years of evaluation, ‘Orlando’ has shown excellent heat resistance, grown under ambient conditions in Orlando, Fla. under 50% shade, and resistance to Red Scorch fungus (Staganospora curtisii).
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by twin-scale cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Miami, Fla. has shown that the unique features of this new amaryllis are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.